Clip-actuated fountain pen selffilling device



March 16, 1954 J. Auf-FRET ET AL CLIP-ACTUATED FOUNTAIN PEN SELF-FILLING DEVICE Filed March 26 RoeE/r ETA/1v PIERRE 5X@ VRE A TTO/VEY Patented Mar. 16, 1954 QFFICE CLIP-ACTUATED FOUNTAIN PEN SELF- FILLING DEVICE Jean Auffret, Robert Etlin,

and Pierre Favre,

Paris, France Application March .26, 1951, Serial No. 217,631

Claims priority, application France November 24, 1950 3 Claims. I

Our invention is concerned with a fountain pen filling device which is similar in its action or effect to filling devices known heretofore yet which departs therefrom inasmuch as the usual extra filling lever is done away with, instead of which the ink-sucking effect is obtained, with the pen cap fitted on the extremity of the barrel remote from the pen, by the actuation of the clip itself which for this purpose is mounted in a completely new manner.

A preferred embodiment of our invention will be described hereinafter, reference being had to thev appended drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the fountain pen with its cap fitted on the pen end of the same.

Figure 2 is a similar view of the fountain pen with its pen cap fitted on the opposite end of the barrel, i. e. readyA for writing.

Figure 3 is a view of the fountain pen similar to Fig. 2 in which however the clip is swung away from the cap barrel to pen-filling position.

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view of the fountain pen taken on line IV-IV in Fig. 1.

Our device is applicable to a fountain pen which comprises a barrel I, a pen 2 fitted in the open end of the barrel, an ink vesicle 3 within said barrel and a self-filling device which includes a vesicle-squeezing bar 4, a spring leaf 5 socketed in a push button 6 arranged at the rear end of the barrel, that is, the one which is remote from the pen. The vesicle in the pen barrel is lled. in well known manner by dipping the pen end into ink, depressing the push button and allowing it to recoil. When the spring leaf 5 is free the lling push button 6 assumes relative to the barrel end remote from the pen the retracted position shown in Figs. 1r and 2. Said filling push button 6 is capped with a sleeve 'I formed at its outer endv with a shoulder I 2` Said sleeve 1 is slidably received in an externally screwthreaded preferably metal tube Il which cooperates with an internal thread in` the barrel. `Tube I 1 is undercut to provide an annular shoulder as shown at I8 to cooperate with the countersunk head of sleeve 1. Housed in the sleeve between the head of the same and push button 6 is a coil spring 8 which is considerably weaker than spring leaf 5 and adapted to urge said head outwards and, in the released condition of said spring leaf 5, to keep the sleeve in the position shown in Fig. 1 owing to the coloperation of the countersunk portions I2 and I8.

ill-Washer 26 formed with a perforated radial is interposed between the shellplug I0 and the end face of the cap and squeezed therebetween by means of a sleeve I I screwed on the externally threaded shaft of said plug. The sleeve II is made of resilient material and formed with a tubular end provided by a peripheral rib limited by two lateral annular beveled flanges I9 and 2i). Said tubular end is divided by radial slots in several flexible claws 2|, 22, 23, 24. Mounted for swinging motion on a pin I3 projecting through the perforation in lug 2l is a clip I4. Slidably mounted in the sleeve II is a needle I5 which is urged towards the bottom of the pen cap into engagement with the heel of the clip It by a spring I6 housed in the sleeve II and rested on a shoulder of said sleeve.

Freely mounted around the claws 2l to 24 is a spacing ring 25 retained by the ribs of said claws as clearly seen in Fig. 1.

With the rear end of fin or lug 21 like head of a rested through the push button 6 on the spring leaf 5 is effective to keep the sleeve 'I in its rearmost position, i. e. with its end face flush with the rear annular end face of the tube Il, whereby the ingress of dust or like objectionable particles is prevented and a pleasant appearance is conferred upon that end of the fountain pen.

As the clip I4 is pivoted to an angular position with respect to the pen cap as shown in Fig. 3 against the action of the spring I E the heel portion of said clip cams the needle I5 inwards and will be returned by the same action to its original position as soon as it is released, so that after all the fundamental function of any conventional clip is also performed by our improved clip.

With the pen cap removed from the pen end of the barrel I and fitted on the rear end of the same as shown in Fig. 2 the point of the I5 depresses the sleeve 1 to a small extent while the push button 6 remains in position and does not act upon the ink vesicle 3, so that no ink oozing or expulsion is liable to said claws catch behind the inset annular bevelled shoulder of the tube I1. The pen-cap can slightly be removed, if desired, from this position, by sliding of the bevelled flange I9 of the claws 2I to 24 in the inset annular shoulder I8.

In order to ll the fountain pen the latter is uncapped and dipped into the ink, 'after which the clip is pvoted to an angular position in respect to the pen-cap as shown in Fig. 3. From the very beginning of this action the shaft portion of the needle l5 enters between the claws 2l to 24 of the sleeve Il, with the result that the catching engagement between the ribs thereon and the annular shoulder of the tube I1 becomes rigid. As the clip-deflecting action proceeds the needle l5 drives the sleeve 'I until it will engage the outer end of the push button 6, after which it becomes eifective to actuate the nlling mechanism in the well known manner. Following the release of the clip the various parts are restored to their original position as shown in Fig. 2 by the combined action of the spring leaf 5, the stronger spring l5 and the weak spring Meanwhile, ink is sucked in by the vesicle in any manner known per se, e. g. as a result of the return of the squeezing bar 4 into engagement with the inside of the barrel I as shown in the drawing.

With the pen cap fitted on the end of the barrel as shown in Fig. 2 the distance ring 25 separates the sleeve Il from the annular rear face of tube H and consequently avoids any accidental unduly deep pressing of the pen cap which might result in ink spitting consequent to the thrust exerted by needle I upon the iilling push button 6.

What we claim is:

l. In a fountain pen, a barrel having an end hollowed with an axial recess, a lling push button housed in the axial recess in the end of the barrel short of the barrel end and actuating the filling when the filling push button is subjected to a thrust, a cap capping the end of the barrel in the filling position, a pin with a head axially guided in the cap, a clip pivotally mounted in the cap and having a leg portion and a heel portion located above the head of the pin, said leg and heel portions being on opposite sides of the pivot a spring around said pin resting on the cap and urging the pin head into engagement with the heel portion of the clip while keeping said pin clear of the filling push button in the released position of the clip with said leg portion extending along the cap, means to lock the cap to the barrel during movement of the leg portion of the clip away from the cap against the action of said spring, the clip heel portion during said movement depressing the pin head until the opposite end of the pin presses on the filling push button.

2. In a fountain pen, a barrel having an end hollowed with an axial recess ending in an annular inwardly projecting shoulder, a filling push button housed in the axial recess in the end of the barrel short of the barrel end and actuating the nlling when the lling push button is subjected to a thrust, a cap capping the end of the barrel in the filling position, a sleeve made of a resilient material rigidly mounted in the cap and formed at its free end with a flange with a bevel end face, said sleeve being split radially with longitudinal slits providing a plurality of iiexible grips adapted to snap behind said annular inwardly projecting shoulder provided at the end of the barrel as the cap is tted with a head axially guided in the sleeve, a clip pivotally mounted in the cap and having a leg portion and a heel portion located above the head of the pin, said leg and heel portions being on opposite sides of the pivot, a spring around said pin resting on the head of the pin and urging the pin head into engagement with the heel portion of the clip while keeping said pin clear of the filling push button in the released position of the clip with said leg portion extending along the cap, the heel portion of the clip being effective, as the leg portion of the clip is swung away from the cap, to push the pin head in the sleeve towards the filling push button against the action of said spring, said pin then being effective to lock the said flexible grips in engagement with said shoul der and to move said filling push button inwards.

3. In a fountain pen, a barrel having an end hollowed with an axial recess ending in an annular inwardly projecting shoulder, a filling push button housed in the axial recess in the end of the barrel short of the barrel end and actuating the filling when the filling push button is subjected to a thrust, a cap capping the end of the barrel in the lling position, a sleeve capping the iilling push button slidably fitted in the axial recess in the end of the barrel behind the inwardly projecting shoulder at said end of the barrel, said sleeve being formed with a head provided wtih an outwardly projecting flange, a weak spring interposed within the sleeve between the filling push button and the sleeve head adapted to urge said sleeve head into engagement with the inwardly projecting shoulder at the end of the barrel, a pin with a head axially guided in the cap, a clip pivotally mounted in the cap and having a leg portion and a heel portion located above the head of the pin, said leg and heel portions being on opposite sides of the pivot, a spring around said pin resting on the cap and urging the pin head into engagement with the heel portion of the clip while keeping said pin clear of the lling push button in the released position of the clip with said leg portion extending along the cap, means to lock the cap to the barrel during movement of the leg portion of the clip away from the cap against the action of said spring, the clip heel portion during said movement depressing the pin head until the opposite end of the pin presses on the lling push button.

on the latter, a pin JEAN AUFFRET. ROBERT ETLIN. PIERRE FAVRE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

